US Transportation Unemployment Below Pre-Pandemic Rate

Click to Enlarge.

The unemployment rate in the U.S. transportation sector was 4.6% in August 2022,* according to Bureau of Labor Statistics  data updated on the Bureau of Transportation Statistics Unemployment in Transportation dashboard.

The August 2022 rate fell 1.8 percentage points from 6.4% in August 2021 and was below the pre-pandemic August level of 4.8% in August 2019. Unemployment in the transportation sector reached its highest level – an all-time record high – during the COVID-19 pandemic (15.7%) in May 2020 and July 2020 under the Trump Administration. The voted out President of course made many false statements about Covid in those dark days of denial.

Unemployment in the transportation sector was above overall unemployment. BLS reports that the US unemployment rate in August 2022* was 3.8% or 0.8 percentage points below the transportation sector rate. Seasonally adjusted, the U.S. unemployment rate in August 2022 was 3.7%.

*not seasonally adjusted